Archived Marriage Records
Viola Lenz
ASHTON — -Viola M. Lenz, 88, of Squirrel, died Saturday, September 19, 2009, at her home of natural causes.
She was born December 4, 1920 in Ashton, to Fred J. and Selma E. Griffel Lenz. She attended school at Kelly Elementary east of Ashton and Ashton High School. She married Elmer Martin Lenz on December 22, 1940 in Squirrel. They made their home and farmed in Squirrel. Elmer died on December 20, 1977.
She was a member of Zion Lutheran Church. where she taught Sunday School for many years, and served in many church offices. She worked as a gauge reader for the Fremont-Madison Canal Company. She enjoyed sewing, cooking, gardening and loved to fish. She was always willing to feed anyone who walked through her door. She loved to watch her grandchildren participate in sports and other activities.
She is survived by her daughters-in-law, Lois Lenz of Ashton, Patricia (Steven) Zachus of Washington; sisters, Thelma (Norbert) Lenz of Ashton, Maxine Troth of Lewistown, Montana; brother, Fred Lenz of Ashton; seven grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband Elmer, and sons Gene Lenz and Alan Lenz.
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, September 23, at Zion Lutheran Church in Ashton, with Deacon Dan Haugen officiating. The family will receive friends Tuesday evening from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Baxter Funeral Home, 717 Main Street, in Ashton, and Wednesday from 10 to 10:45 a.m. at the church prior to services. Burial will be in the Squirrel Cemetery. Memorial contributions can be made to the Good Shepherd Home through Zion Lutheran Church, 9 Main Street, Ashton, ID. 83420.
Cookie Thomas
Muriel Cook "Cookie" Thomas, 94, a longtime Pinehaven resident, died Sunday October 4, 2009, in the Ashton Living Center.
Cookie enjoyed a remarkable life. Her spirit and love graced the lives of all who knew her. To Cookie's numerous friends she was their strength, confidant and mentor, always positive and sensitive to their needs. To Charles, Susan, and Elizabeth she was the perfect mother and more, forever patient and comforting. Grandsons Jack and Justin were also recipients of this blessed unconditional love and support. To husband Jack, Cookie was his cherished wife, best friend and the better half of their extraordinary team. Throughout her long and glorious life, she possessed a deep passion for the fine arts and all good literature. Cookie drew constant solace and joy from living on the banks of the Henry's Fork of the Snake River and reveled in the wonders of nature. Her belief in the basic goodness of mankind provided the foundation of her life. Cookie's incredible grace and dignity will forever be missed.
Cookie was born March 30, 1915 in New York, New York to Fayette Andrus Cook and Marjorie Wilson Cook.. She attended Ridgewood High School in Ridgewood, New Jersey where she graduated in 1934. She then attended and graduated from Cornell University with a bachelor’s degree in English Literature. In 1940 she married Jack Arnold Thomas in Ridgewood, New Jersey. He died in 1996. During World War II she was a personal shopper at Lord & Taylor’s Department Store, in New York, NY.
Noted for her active role as a volunteer in many service organizations, Cookie served as the president of the Ladies Guild at St. Elizabeth’s Church in Ridgewood, New Jersey, was one of the founding members of the Henry’s Fork Foundation and volunteered as a guide at Johnny Sack cabin in Island Park. A docent at Roswell Museum, her specialty was Kachina Dolls. She volunteered at the Ashton Living Center and volunteered at the Fremont County Fair, crafts booth, in St. Anthony. She was a cradle Episcopalian and attended the Little Church in the Pines in Island Park.
Survivors include her children, Charles Owen Thomas of Big Sky, MT, Gail Reed Thomas of Big Sky, Susan Briggs Thomas of Boulder, CO, and Elizabeth Thomas Pilot of Big Sky, as well as two grandchildren, Justin Thomas Hardine and Jack Louis Pilot. She is also survived by a sister, Elise Cook Geurwig of Nashville, TN, and a sister-in-law, MaryAnn Thomas Cash of Fort Collins, CO.
Memorial services will be held July 4, 2010, at a time later to be determined, in Pinehaven, Island Park. In lieu of flowers please send a donation to the Henry’s Fork Foundation, Box 550, Ashton, ID. 83420, or a charity of your choice. The Thomas family wishes to thank all her friends for their love and kindness.
Lois Reynolds
Lois Elda Reynolds, 92, of Ashton, died on Friday, October 9, 2009, at the Ashton Living Center of natural causes.
She was born May 12, 1917, at her family’s home in Wilford, to Charles Emil and Ellen Johnson Murri. She was the fourth child in a family of seven.
She attended grade school in Wilford and high school in Sugar City. She graduated from Sugar Salem high school in 1934. She attended Ricks College for two years, and then attended Brigham Young University. She graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in elementary education. She taught elementary school for 32 years.
She married Wilfred "Fred" Bruce Reynolds on December 19, 1941, in the Mesa Arizona LDS Temple. They lived and raised their family in the Ashton area. Fred died on August 23, 1992.
She was an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and served in many callings.
She is survived by her children, Renee (Jay) Somsen, Blair (Ann) Reynolds, Curtis (Julie) Reynolds, Kim (Janet) Reynolds, Richard (Shauna) Reynolds, Vicki (Doug) Evans, a brother Donald Murri; 27 grandchildren, 58 great-grandchildren, and 3 great-great-grandchildren. She is preceded in death by her husband Fred, brother Leland Murri, and sisters Leola Romrell, Meada Gertch, and Carma Fullmer.
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m., on Saturday, October 17, 2009 at the Ashton LDS Stake Center, 516 North Second Street. The family will receive friends Friday evening from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Stake Center and again Saturday from 10 to 10:45 a.m. prior to services. Interment will be in the Wilford Cemetery
under the direction of Baxter Funeral Home.
Dalin J. Waddell
Beloved son, brother, grandson, uncle and friend, Dalin J. Waddell, 19, of St. Anthony, died Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009, at Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center.
He was born May 4, 1990, in Rexburg, to John C. and Debi Beddes Waddell. He attended school at Sugar City and South Fremont. He received his GED from Eastern Idaho Technical College. He was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Dalin loved spending time with his family and friends. He loved riding his dirt bike and was always trying new stunts and seeing how far he could go. His motto was, "go big or go home." He loved snowboarding, hunting and fishing. He was adventurous and full of life. He touched many lives. He is deeply loved and will be greatly missed.
He is survived by his parents, John and Debi Waddell of St. Anthony; a sister, Kendra (Brian) Beddes, and nephew, Braydon Matthew Beddes, both of Idaho Falls; a brother, Jordon Waddell of St. Anthony; grandparents, Betty Waddell of Rexburg and Kenny and Ann Beddes of Rigby; and great-grandmother, Francis Ritzhaupt of Estacada, Ore. He was preceded in death by his grandfather, Morris Waddell, and grandmother, Jackie Ritzhaupt Beddes.
Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 22, at the Wilford LDS chapel. The family will receive friends from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday at Flamm Funeral Home in Rexburg and from 10 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. prior to the services at the church. Burial will be in Parker Cemetery.
Elizabeth Clare Prophet dies
Alzheimer's takes 'Guru Ma,' of cult based north of Gardiner
BOZEMAN, MT. — Elizabeth Clare Prophet, retired president of The Summit Lighthouse and Church Universal and Triumphant, headquartered at Royal Teton Ranch north of Gardiner, died Thursday, October 15. Prophet passed away peacefully at her home in Bozeman, surrounded by loved ones. She was 70 years old.
First diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 1997, at age 58, Mrs. Prophet formally retired from active leadership in 1999. At its peak, the church has 50,000 members.
The Summit Lighthouse was founded in 1958 by her late husband, Mark L. Prophet. Upon his passing in 1973, Mrs. Prophet took the helm of the organization, shepherding decades of growth.
A world renowned spiritual leader and author, she is recognized for her prolific writings and leaves behind a tremendous body of work.
Today, many of the more than 100 books she and Mark produced are available in a total of 29 languages and sold in 40 countries around the world, including such spiritual classics as The Lost Years of Jesus, The Human Aura and Reincarnation: The Missing Link in Christianity.
“Elizabeth Clare Prophet was a spiritual pioneer whose message of a profound and practical pathway to God transcended mainstream religion and presaged the advent of modern spirituality,” says Summit Lighthouse President Valerie McBride. “Her message of liberation through the individual’s personal walk with God continues to inspire many in their quest for self-realization.”
Mrs. Prophet was a mystic, a writer, a lecturer and a spiritual teacher. She taught that practical spirituality could provide tools to surmount the challenges of daily life and world problems. Through her Summit University Forum series, Mrs. Prophet welcomed world leaders in politics, economics, health and finance to discuss the issues of the day. As one of the most widely known female religious leaders of her time, Mrs. Prophet made numerous media appearances on radio and television, including Nightline, Sonya Live, Phil Donahue and Larry King Live.
In 1971, reflecting her devotion to children, Mrs. Prophet founded Montessori International, which was open to the public. In 1973, she founded Summit University, a college of religion, science and culture, and in 1975, Summit University Press to publish and spread her writings around the globe.
During the 1970s and 1980s, she led pilgrimages and lecture tours across the United States and nations around the world including India, the Philippines, Canada, Australia, establishing religious centers on almost every continent.
Now in its 51st year, The Summit Lighthouse continues to grow with local groups established in more than 250 cities worldwide.
The Summit Lighthouse carries on the Prophets’ core message of developing an intimate relationship with God through practical spirituality and the wisdom of the world’s major religions, East and West.
Says McBride, “It is a mission that we continue in the hope of blessing and uplifting millions with her message of soul liberation. We are honored to build on the legacy that she and Mark Prophet established.”
The Church Universal and Triumphant gained notoriety in the late 1980s for its followers' elaborate preparations for a nuclear Armageddon Prophet said would happen well before the millennium.
Prophet was called "Guru Ma" by her followers, who believe she received "dictations" from such "ascended masters" as Jesus, Buddha, and St. Germain.
Elizabeth Clare Wulf was born April 8, 1939, in Red Bank, N.J. She grew up in a Christian Science environment, she told The Times in 1980, but by age 9 had gone "to every church in town" only to find that none taught "the whole truth. . . . I found that within the self."
She was a political science student at Boston University when she met Mark L. Prophet. After she earned her bachelor's degree, they were married in 1963.
In 1966, Summit Lighthouse moved to Colorado Springs. Mark Prophet died in 1973 and Elizabeth Clare Prophet assumed the leadership of Summit Lighthouse.
She founded the Church Universal and Triumphant, as well as Summit University and Summit University Press. The church moved to Pasadena in 1977 and bought the estate in Calabasas the next year.
In 1981, the church purchased a remote, 12,000-acre site in Montana north of Gardiner and adjoining Yellowstone National Park from magazine publisher Malcolm S. Forbes. Prophet’s close associates and followers started moving to Montana in 1983. "We felt we were divinely led here," she told The L.A. Times in 1987. "You know it is easier to meditate here than it is in Los Angeles. You have 10 million auras in Los Angeles and here you have wide open space."
Area residents from Gardiner to Bozeman were skeptical about the church, and local newspapers ran stories that fanned the flames. SOme former church members said brainwashing through the use of harsh diets and long chants was used to keep members under control. Church members stockpiled weapons and food to prepare themselves for a nuclear incident Prophet said would happen soon. A bomb shelter was built on the church headquarters site, and individual members living off site also built shelters. More than 2,000 church members moved to Montana, many living in barracks the church purchased from another religious cult.
Environmentalists also had concerns that the church would tap into geothermal features on the Royal Teton Ranch that could affect thermal features in Yellowstone Park. There were also concerns about the church not supporting bison management policies and helping to protect bison and other park wildlife that winter outside the park. But the church cooperated, and still cooperates, with the National Park Service and other agencies concerned about wildlife and natural resources outside Yellowstone.
The Calabasas property was sold to Soka University in 1986. The same year, a former church follower who had been expelled in a dispute over money was awarded $1.5 million in a suit against Prophet and the church. Gregory Mull alleged that he had been subjected to a form of thought control. Prophet's then-husband, church official Edward Francis, said the jury got inaccurate information and that the church and its beliefs "had been put on trial."
In 1991, Prophet said newspapers had distorted her statements, "literally fabricating that I had predicted the end of the world. Even if there is a nuclear war, I believe we can survive it. I don't think it's the end of the planet."
She is survived by her children, Erin, Moira, Tatiana, Sean and Seth.
Richard Emmitt Oliver
Mack's Inn man to be buried in Arlington
MACK'S INN — A memorial service with full military honors will be held for Richard Emmitt Oliver, known to everyone as "Dick", at Arlington National Cemetery
at 9 a.m. Tuesday, November 10, 2009.
Dick was a wonderful husband, father and grandfather. He passed away peacefully on August 22, 2009 at his beloved cabin in Mack’s Inn, with his family by his side.
Born, June 29, 1920, and raised in Weleetka, Oklahoma, he was the son of Floyd and Lela, and brother of Phil Oliver. He received his primary and secondary schooling in Weleetka, graduating as Salutatorian at age 16. He then continued his education at Oklahoma University and Texas Tech University.
Dick proudly enlisted in the Army Air Corp at Angel Island, CA. on December 20, 1939. He had an illustrious career in the US Military spanning three wars. He bravely fought in World War II as a bombardier on secret missions in the South Pacific, surviving two crash landings within a month of each other. One crash landing in a New Guinea swamp entailed a six week ordeal to reach the coast before the crew could be rescued. Dick was an active participant in the continuing efforts to retrieve their B-17E plane, known as the "Swamp Ghost," to preserve it for America’s military history. During the Korean War, he was a Company Commander and Battalion Adjutant for the Idaho National Guard. His long military career included serving in counter intelligence at Roswell, New Mexico.
Dick retired in 1969 after serving as Chief of Logistics at the Pentagon during the Vietnam War. Throughout Col. Oliver’s military career he earned many meritorious awards and achievements, including the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star and Silver Star Medals. Upon his retirement from the Pentagon the family moved to California. They settled in Tiburon where he opened a real estate office and enjoyed many successful and happy years.
Dick’s passion for the outdoors and fly fishing led him to build a second home in Mack’s Inn with Linda, his beloved wife of 68 years. He loved to share their beautiful retreat with family and friends, taking everyone on lots of sightseeing trips through Yellowstone and surrounding areas to share the beauty and history of our National Parks. Dick’s commitment to family, love of nature, and dedication to country were guiding principles which he instilled in his family.
He is deeply missed by his wife Linda, children Mike (Nancy), Kathy (Sal) and Karen (Larry) and eight grandchildren, Rich, Rob, Justin, Adam (Melissa), Kelly, Laura, Matt and Jenni.
